


A difficult conversation.

by Diorionn



Series: Reunion. [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe – Human, Angst, Baby Jack - Freeform, Dean did not have a happy childhood, Depressed Dean Winchester, Hurt Dean Winchester, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Minor Character Death, Repressed Dean, but he means well, daddy Lucifer, lucifer is annoying, two idiots who don't talk about their feelings.... spending a whole lot of time doing just that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22302628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diorionn/pseuds/Diorionn
Summary: Dean needs to talk to Sam. It's been too long and he's come too far to chicken out now. At least that's what Luci thinks and he's sure as hell going to make sure this happens, even if he has to drag Dean kicking and screaming.
Relationships: Lucifer/Dean Winchester
Series: Reunion. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605364
Comments: 9
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> See, I said I would bring more! :)
> 
> As always, unbeta'd and if I didn't tag something you think it needs, let me know.

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer couldn’t stop the near sob from escaping as the wailing started again. He’d been a dad for less than 12hours and already he was exhausted, stressed and realising the impossibility of this situation. It was the fifth time Jack had woken up crying, and each time it took him between 30minutes to an hour to get him back to sleep. 

The baby didn’t like him. It was the only possible explanation. He’d done all the basics, the diaper was clear, his belly was full, he’d been winded and he had a pacifier. There was no reason for the baby to be wailing, except for the fact he didn’t like Luci. 

“Come on Jack, I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired. You’re tired. Please. Just go. To. Sleep.” 

He carefully scooped the baby out of the basket again, tucking him against his chest with one arm as he bounced the small body in an attempt to sooth him. Once he was secure, Luci found the pacifier with his free hand, and again tried to slip it into the soft pink mouth, not that Jack kept it in with all his screaming. 

“Shh, okay, just stop crying. Whatever is wrong, we will fix it in the morning, just sleep.” He knew it was pointless trying to reason or plead with the baby, but he still couldn’t help himself. 

With tired little whimpers Jack’s wailing began to slow down again, the blue eyes drifting shut as finally his mouth closed around the pacifier and he started suckling. Lucifer didn’t relax though. They’d been through this before. Jack would relax, he would seem to be asleep and then the second Lucifer put him down? Bam. Full volume again. 

Luci’s head was throbbing, his eyes feeling puffy and gritty as the combination of crying, lack of sleep and the stress of the last few days trying to get home all catching up with him. Jack was still whimpering and hiccupping, asleep, but not deeply enough to be put down yet. Luci had made that mistake already. 

On exhausted dragging feet, with his head spinning and his vision blurry, he stumbled out his room and down the corridor. He didn’t knock on Mike’s door, just pushed straight in and sat on the bed next to the mountain of blankets. The lack of motion had Jack squirming and whimpering again, but the eyes remained tight and he didn’t drop his paci. 

Michael rolled over, hooking an arm around Luci’s waist and curling up against him. “You okay?” His voice was sleep rough and barely a whisper. 

“No.” Lucifer whispered back. It was hard to keep his eyes open any longer; all he wanted to do was sleep. 

“Okay. Come on than Lulu, lie down. Here we go.” Mike helped turn Luci around, lying him down amongst the pillows and blankets and helping to keep Jack in place, murmuring softly as he did. Once his brother was settled, Mike got out of bed, disappearing. 

Lucifer shut his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately, in the still warm blankets of his brother. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer yawned; keeping his eyes squeezed tight shut and refusing to acknowledge the light creeping in under his eyelids. He tugged the blankets tighter around himself, curling up as small as he could get. He didn’t remember climbing into Michael’s bed, but the scent on the sheets told him that was exactly where he was. 

Another yawn came and Lucifer couldn’t help but whimper in unhappiness. He wasn’t ready to wake up yet. His eyes were still gummed shut with exhaustion and already the pain in his head was getting more intense. 

“Should we wake him?” 

“No Annie, let him sleep. He had a rough night last night.” 

“But... pancakes?” 

“Shhh, if Luci doesn’t wake up, it means we get more!” 

“Would you both just please go get ready for church like I asked you to? Leave him alone.” 

It was clearly supposed to be a whispered conversation, but none of his siblings were as subtle as they would like to be. The fact that it was had just outside his bedroom door didn’t help matters. The whispering continued a little longer, followed by the sounds of the children giggling before the bedroom door opened. 

Lucifer didn’t move. Almost holding his breath to keep still and quiet. It was the same way he used to avoid church as a child, pretending to be sick and sleepy to get out of sitting in the cold stone building on the uncomfortable wooden pews being told he was going to hell. He could hear the sounds of Michael moving around, the rustling of clothing and the open and shutting of the wardrobe hinting he might be getting dressed. As another yawn threatened, Lucifer stuck an arm in his mouth, biting down hard to smoother the noise. 

The bedding shifted and the bed dipped slightly as Michael sat next to him, pushing blankets out the way enough to touch gentle fingers to Lucifer’s forehead. “Lulu? We’re heading to church now. There are pancakes in the oven for you. Jack had his morning feed and is sleeping in the living room again. Dean’s still here too, he said he would watch the baby. I showed him how the bottle prep works and how much to make. I’ll be back soon okay?” 

A kiss was pressed to Luci’s forehead and then Michael withdrew, shutting the door quietly behind himself. The leaden weight of his limbs was begging Lucifer to keep his eyes closed and go back to sleep, but the tiny voice was whispering in the back of his mind. Any minute now, his baby would be left alone in the care of a stranger. It wasn’t Mikes fault. He was a trusting man who liked to think the best of others. He didn’t know anything about Dean, but he knew Luci liked him and invited him home and that was enough for him. But Lucifer knew nothing about the man and his past experiences would say he shouldn’t be trusted. 

It took more effort than he thought possible to force his swollen eyes open and his aching limbs into motion. He still didn’t remember getting into bed with Mike, but he remembered the crying... over and over and over again. 

He heard the front door shut while he was in the bathroom and sent a quiet prayer of thanks to his brother when he noticed the large glass of cold water and tablets sitting by the sink. Michael had even left one of the cold packs they use on bumped heads by the glass. He instantly pressed the chilled pack to his forehead as he relieved himself. If Kelly felt like this every day for five weeks, no wonder she gave the baby away. It had only been one day and already Lucifer was half heartedly thinking of other options. There was a heavy weight of guilt in his chest for judging Kelly for her actions. When Annie and Balt were little, he didn’t remember things being this bad, but then mom and dad had both still been around, so they would have done all the night time wake ups. Maybe there was just something wrong with Jack... maybe Gabe’s jokes about the Anti-Christ weren’t jokes after all. 

With a sigh, he grabbed a quick shower. It was a risk leaving the stranger he had adopted with his son, but Luci needed the rushing water and the sharp scent of ginger and citron that was his shower gel to wake him up. 

Once clean and dressed in Michael’s incredibly fluffy dark blue bathrobe, Luci made his way down to the kitchen, quickly spotting Dean standing by the back window with a coffee cup in hand and looking deep in thought. He paced back a couple steps until he could look through the doorway into the living room, spotting Jack in his basket just like Mike said. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Lucifer again returned to the kitchen, this time padding across the shockingly cold tiles to reach the coffee pot and pour himself a much needed mug of caffeine. 

The other man didn’t seem to have noticed him, but he had quickly become used to that in the two days they had spent driving halfway across the USA. Luci hummed softly as he got the plate of pancakes out the oven and the syrup out the fridge before sitting down at the breakfast table. 

“I assume you already ate?” Luci asked softly, watching in quiet amusement as Dean visibly jumped, turning around with wide eyes before blinking in quiet confusion as he processed what was said. 

“Oh, you mean pancakes? Yeah.” 

Luci hummed happily digging in. They were buttery soft with little chocolate chips. “Mmm. Micha’s normally a shit cook, but these are amazing.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Huh?” 

“I thought I better offer some sort of thank you, for the place to stay. Pancakes, burgers and tomato rice soup are pretty much the only thing I make.” 

“Well, these are fucking awesome.” 

Dean gave him a small smile, sipping at his cup as he watched Luci eat. “Mike mentioned you had a tough night, and I gotta say man, you’re looking pretty rough right now.” 

Luci didn’t dignify that with a response beyond flipping the bird and a small scowl. He knew he looked bad; he didn’t need it being pointed out to him. “I thought you were going to commencement? Doesn’t that start first thing or something?” 

Dean’s smile instantly dropped and he looked away. “I changed my mind. It’s fine.” 

“Well that’s a load of bullshit. You came a long way to chicken out now.” 

“I’m not chickening out, fuck you. It’s none of your business anyway.” 

Lucifer made a clucking noise, mimicking the chicken he was calling the other man. “You know if you’re too chicken shit to go on your own, I’ll come with you.” 

“Again, not scared. Just didn’t want to go sit through some 3 hour speech.” 

“Okay. I get that. You know certificate ceremonies are different though right? They’re done by department in the afternoon. There’s still time.” Lucifer kept his voice light and casual, watching the tense line of Dean’s shoulders. 

“Just leave it, yeah?” Dean brushed his hand through his hair, not turning around. Luci gave a small shrug to himself and finished his breakfast. Sometimes it was best to fill the silence with conversation, and sometimes it was best to keep quiet and let the other man think it through. He didn’t come this far just to quit at the last hurdle, so something else was bothering Dean. Luci just needed to wait it out. 

“I don’t know what he would be majoring in.” The words were very quiet, spoken to the window not to Luci. Like admitting it, physically hurt Dean. 

“Well yeah, you already told me that. They got admin people there though, you just gotta ask them.” 

“Easily said.” Dean gave a snort of derision before shrugging and shaking himself off. “It’s fine. Thanks for the sofa. I’m going to head off now.” 

Luci puffed his breath out in irritation, trying to think of a reason the man couldn’t leave just yet. He shoved his dirty plate in the sink along with his cup, before following along behind Dean and trying to decide if he could steal his bag or car keys or something before he got away. 

“Wait! I thought you said you’d look at my car for me?” 

“I...” Dean paused, turning to look at Luci with a small frown. He looked so confused as he spoke. “You really want me to stick around?” 

Lucifer gave a small shrug; he hadn’t meant the words to sound so needy or desperate to the other man, but if it kept him here a little longer... “I mean... yeah? I love that car; I want her to work right, especially since I can’t use my bike with the baby.” 

For the first time that morning, a small lopsided grin tugged on Dean’s lips. “No, I suppose you can’t really can you.” He looked across to the basket where the baby was still sleeping peacefully. “You want me to look at her now?” 

“Nah. I want you to take a shower and put on a suit so we can go find your brother, than I want you to fix her tomorrow. I can’t think straight right now, and if you think I’m leaving you with a girl like that unsupervised you’ve got another thing coming!” 

Dean made a noise of frustration, tugging at his hair again. “No. I’m not going I told you. Fuck!” 

“Dean, it will be fine. Trust me.” 

“I don’t have a fucking suit okay! No fucking suit, no fucking ticket, no clue where he will be. It was a fucking stupid idea to begin with.” 

Lucifer pressed his lips together, glad that his headache seemed to finally be responding to the pain pills, he wouldn’t be able to solve this with the earlier pain in full force. It was hard enough as it was. He gave Dean a slow once over, trying to judge who’s clothes were most likely to fit. 

“Okay. You go get a shower, I’m going to find you clothes.” 

“Luce...” 

“Nope. Not listening. You keep telling me you’re not a chickenshit. Fucking prove it.” Lucifer didn’t wait to hear Dean’s complaint this time, simply walking out of the room. A few minutes later he heard Dean pad up the stairs behind him and shouted, “There are clean towels in the cupboard.” 

After a few moments in thought, Lucifer grabbed a spare suit out of both his own wardrobe and Mike’s. Dean was slimmer than Lucifer, but taller than Michael so it was hard to guess which might fit better. He hung both suits outside the bathroom before returning to his room and getting himself dressed in his other suit. Just because he didn’t like to go to church, didn’t mean he wasn’t forced to have a Sunday best and a Sunday spare. 

Once he was dressed in a black suit with a sapphire blue shirt (top buttons undone), he spent a few moments fluffing his hair into the perfect cross between bed head and sex hair. After a moment’s hesitation, and a quick glance to the hall making sure the bathroom door was still shut, Luci also applied a quick swipe of eye liner on his upper lid and a touch of mascara. He still had a bit of scruff, but his razor was in the bathroom where Dean was, at least it was neat, so it would have to do. The finishing touch was a quick spray of his favourite aftershave, as citron and clean smelling as his shower gel. 

His contemplation of his reflection was interrupted by the wail from downstairs and Lucifer sighed, hoping that if Jack had to sick up, he at least wouldn’t ruin his suit. 

By the time Lucifer returned upstairs with Jack tucked onto his shoulder, thick cloth barrier in place, Dean was out of the bathroom and dressed in boxers and a borrowed shirt, standing in Lucifer’s bedroom looking in the mirror. Lucifer couldn’t help but give a wolf-whistle of appreciation at Dean’s ass. The boxer shorts were rather flattering to the tight muscles; the deep blush that immediately sprang across Dean’s cheek bones was a bonus. Luci hadn’t lied when he said he’d never slept with another man, but it really wasn’t due to a lack of interest. It’s more that the men he tends to fancy, always turn out straight. 

“Fuck you Luce.” Dean muttered, rolling his eyes in the mirror at Lucifer before putting on Mike’s pants first. As expected they were a little too short so a moment later Dean swapped, clearly not paying attention to his audience. Although they were a little looser than would be best, they still fitted better and Lucifer cleared his throat, choosing to leave the room as he realised the effect that Dean wearing his clothes had on him. 

He took Jack into the nursery, carefully lying him down in the cot while he packed the diaper bag with needed essentials. While packing spare clothes, he also found a tuxedo baby grow which could only ever be from Michael, probably bought for church purposes. Luci grinned a little and not for the first time that day, sent a little prayer of thanks to his big brother, who could always be trusted to buy the most adorable things. 

He gave Jack a little outfit change to go along with his diaper change, slipping a bib on top, just in case Jack was sick, but hoping he wouldn’t be. 

“I can’t decide who looks cuter, you or your son.” 

“Fuck you?” 

“What, it’s a compliment!” 

“No, calling me sexy, hot, ravishing, fuckable or any of the above, those would be a compliment, calling me cute is an insult.” Lucifer couldn’t help the little pout as he looked back at Dean. 

The other man chuckled, the soft pink still on his cheeks as he obviously checked Lucifer out. “Well I’m sorry, I thought cute was a good one, but I’ll go with sexy instead? I’m not calling a baby sexy though.” 

“I should hope not!” Lucifer snorted softly, before scooping Jack back up and hooking the bag over his shoulder. “Damn but you look seriously fuckable wearing my clothes like that. Wish I could just strip them right back off you.” 

Dean laughed awkwardly, the colour flaring back over his cheeks. “Well... We can give it a go if you like?” 

“Mmm, I will be more than happy to help you undress. Tonight. After we get home.” 

“Not going to let me distract you then?” 

“Nope! Let’s go. I hope Micha left the car seat downstairs and not in his car.” 

Dean heaved a sigh, but dutifully followed Lucifer down the stairs, his sock clad feet making no noise. It wasn’t until after Lucifer had prepped a couple spare bottles of formula for his son, and located the car seat, ready to go, that he realised Dean was wearing his usual battered boots with his borrowed suit. 

A genuine noise of distress escaped him when he noticed. “Where are your shoes? Fuck’s sake Dean! Can’t I trust you to do anything on your own? Here. Hold the baby while I go fucking find you something for your feet. What size are you? 10? Or 11? We’ll go with an 11.” 

Lucifer didn’t give Dean a chance to reply before he shoved the baby at him and bounded up the stairs to grab his spare dress shoes. Dean was lucky Luci had spares of everything or he would be stuffed. 

Dean was still standing awkwardly embarrassed at the bottom of the stairs when Luci returned, Jack cooing softly as he gripped Dean’s finger in his fist, shaking and kicking his feet. 

Lucifer thrust the shoes at him, took the baby back and grabbed the car-seat out of the entry way before storming out the house. Dean would just have to catch him up, because if he thought Luci would let him get out of this now, he had another thing coming. 

~*~*~*~*~


	2. Chapter 2

~*~*~*~*~ 

It took almost 40 minutes to drive to the college campus. It took another 15 minutes to find somewhere to park. The only sound during all that time was the rumble of the impala’s engines and the contented suckling noises from the car seat in the back. 

Lucifer was frustrated. He knew he shouldn’t be. Dean wasn’t his brother, wasn’t even a friend really. Luci had no claim on the silent man currently driving the car. And yet... He felt a sense of responsibility, as though somehow Dean’s future happiness was his to create and find. If he was being really honest with himself though, Luci would admit a part of him is so dedicated to making the reunion happen as a way of keeping this strangely quiet and deeply sad man around. If Dean can reconnect with his brother, he might stick around in Cali, and if he did that, it would give Luci a chance to explore this connection he felt. 

Lucifer tilted his head, watching Dean quietly falling apart next to him. The other man still had both hands on the steering wheel of the parked car, his breathing rapidly escalating as his eyes were fixed and staring at something only he could see. Lucifer hummed softly, trying to decide how best to get him out of his funk this time. Talking someone down from a panic attack took time and it would probably just trigger again as soon as they got closer. He needed a different way. Distraction. 

Luci licked his lips, mind running quickly through options before giving a little shrug and reaching for Dean. A hand caught his jaw and gently turned the younger man towards him. The blown green eyes flashed to calm blue in confusion before Lucifer was pressing his lips against Dean’s. It wasn’t a deep or forceful kiss, just a soft press of closed lips, as a thumb stroked soothingly over Dean’s cheek. 

Dean made a small noise, a cross between a whimper and a question. Lucifer pulled back, giving Dean a little grin, as he asked, “You coming?” before hoping out of the car. 

He didn’t look back at Dean, too busy opening the back door and grabbing Jack’s baby carrier from the seat next to him. He’d been more than a little disappointed to realise he wouldn’t be allowed to bring a stroller to the ceremony. It’s hard to look sexy with a newborn baby strapped to your chest. 

“Here, you look a little stuck.” Dean murmured softly, stepping up behind Luci’s back and taking over buckling the criss-crossing straps for him. Luci made a big show of huffing in irritation, both at the implication he needed help and the indignity of the baby carrier. On the inside however, he was positively gleeful. His plan had worked, getting Dean out of the car and completely distracted. 

“I feel like a kangaroo.” 

“You look like one too. It’s adorable. Lil’ papa Luci!” 

Lucifer turned, giving Dean the full force of his glare. “Fuck you. We’ve been over this!” 

Dean snickered softly, eyes bright with laughter as he wrapped a hand around the back of Lucifer’s neck, pulling him in for a second kiss. Again, just a quick press of slightly dry lips together and then he was pulling back, cheeks noticeably pink, but happy. “That was for cute. Which you are. You get the baby, I’ll get his stuff.” 

Lucifer blinked rapidly as he watched Dean pull away with a bounce in his step. He cleared his throat slightly, feeling his own cheeks pink. If he had any doubts about having a crush on Dean before, those doubts were long gone now. 

“How did I end up the girl in this?” There was no bluster to the question, just a soft whine as he set about freeing Jack from his car-seat. At some point he had drifted back to sleep, so Luci had to take extra care not to wake him as he lifted. 

“Because you like to wear dresses, you said it yourself.” 

“No, I said I wore a dress once!” 

“Actually, I believe the offer was something along the lines of... “If it’s pink panties and a dress you want, I’m happy to help.” I don’t remember the exact words of course, but the sentiment was there.” Dean grinned, stepping far too close as he helped wrap the harness around Jack while Luci kept the baby steady on his chest. 

Once Jack was secure, Dean stepped back, adjusting the diaper bag he had slung over his shoulder. “Also, what was it you said about the blush? Adorable? Yep. Adorable.” Dean gave one of Luci’s pink cheeks a poke with a finger before quickly backing away as Luci growled. 

If he had known how successful his attempt to distract Dean from his thoughts would be, he would never have done it. He couldn’t help the pout forming on his lips as he followed along behind the other man with his swagger. 

They walked like this for a little while before Dean paused, turning slightly as he let Lucifer catch up. “So, what’s your plan?” 

Luci shrugged a little. “I’m thinking we find someone who can tell us where he is and just ask. There will be admin type people.” 

“Dude. They aren’t going to just tell you shit like that.” 

“Oh ye of little faith. Is the devil not temptation personified? Trust me Dean.” 

Dean scowled, shaking his head slightly. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t think it’s possible. We don’t know what he studied, if he’s still here, if he’s even graduating this year! I don’t even know if he still goes by his name or if he changed it!” 

Luci snorted softly, “Changed it to what, Louise? Now you’re being ridiculous.” 

“How the fuck should I know? He ran away from home, didn’t tell mom or dad where he went because he didn’t want to be a part of our family any more. It makes sense he would ditch the name.” 

Lucifer sighed, reaching over and catching Dean’s hand, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze. “Look. I don’t know if we are on a wild goose chase or what, but I know I’m willing to give it a go. Are you?” 

Dean looked at their joined hands before shifting to link their fingers together, and giving a little shrug. “Why does it matter so much to you?” 

“I don’t know. I guess it makes me think of my own siblings. Don’t tell the fuckers, ‘cause I’ll never live it down, but I can’t imagine not waking up to a photo of Gabe’s heart attack on a plate that he calls breakfast. Or sneezing during a call with Raffy and having a half hour lecture on the signs of pneumonia to watch for and make sure I take my vitamins and get plenty of rest. Even Cassie, I mean he drives me up the wall with his constant “Someone’s talking to me, what do I do now” calls. I’m not joking Dean, Cassie calls me every fucking time he goes to Wal-Mart and there’s a new cashier because he can’t talk to fucking strangers!” Lucifer cut himself off, sighing as he made their joined hands swing. He gave a little shake of his head and quirked a small smile at Dean. “I guess it just breaks my heart that you don’t have that.” 

“I don’t know... sounds pretty annoying to me; maybe I’m better off without him.” Dean teased back, using their hands to tug Luci close enough to bump their shoulders together. 

The older blond rolled his eyes, giving Dean a fond smile as his free hand came up to push the top of the baby carrier out the way enough to check Jack was still okay, and still sleeping. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a group of teenage girls putting their faces together and giggling as they looked at Dean and Luci walking while on the other side of the road was an elderly woman beaming while her male companion frowned. If Dean noticed the attention they were earning, he didn’t mention it or react in any way. 

It wasn’t long before they were close enough to the campus to be caught up in all the crowds of graduation, Lucifer casually leading them towards the visitor’s centre where hopefully they will be able to find someone to help them locate Dean’s bother. 

“Urgh. I wish you hadn’t made me wear a fucking monkey suit. It’s fucking hot man.” 

Lucifer snorted, casting a glance at the other man. Dean’s hairline was looking a little damp, and a healthy glow to his cheeks. It made Luci think of other ways he could get the slightly flushed and sweaty look. “It’s not even that hot. Stop whining. Okay, wait here. I’m going to go ask about your Sam.” 

Lucifer stole another kiss before pulling free from Dean and pushing his way through the milling crowds to find one of the desks set up with current students and their information. Settling on a slightly chubby, but still pretty brunette, he moved closer to the table, flirty smile on his lips. 

“Good afternoon sir! How can I help you today?” The girl chirped, far too bouncy for having said those same words at least a hundred times already. 

“Hi. This is a little awkward, but I’m completely lost. I had to go back to the car for the baby’s pacifier and I said I would catch up with my wife, it’s her little brother graduating, but, and this is the embarrassing part, I wasn’t listening when she told me where I need to go.” Luci gave a sheepish smile, leaning a little closer as he spoke as though he was telling her a secret. 

The girl returned his smile with a softly sympathetic one, “No problem sir. Which department are you looking for.” 

“I... uh, I don’t know? Sammy wants to be a lawyer, so this is really just a stepping stone for the future, but I don’t remember what he majored in.” Luci faked a wince, one hand lifting from the table to cup the back of Jack’s head through the fabric, “My wife is going to kill me if I miss it though. I tried calling her, and she’s not answering, but guess who’s fault it will be if I don’t get there!” 

“I’m sorry sir, I really am, but if you don’t know the department there’s not much I can do to help.” Her face fell a little as she realised she wouldn’t be able to help. 

“Can’t you just... look it up on the system? Isn’t there like a database or something you could check?” Luci turned up his best puppy eyes, trying to look desperate. 

“I wish I could, but I’m just a volunteer.” 

“Right.” Luci sighed, standing up and dragging his hand through his hair. His plan had failed and he didn’t really have a backup. To make things even worse, Jack chose that moment to wake up, immediately starting to wail, spitting out his paci and demanding a feed. “Damn! Shh, Jack it’s okay, we’ll find mommy soon, I promise, you just got to hold on baby.” 

“Oh, oh no. Is there no one else you can call? You’re brother in law?” The girl looked genuinely distressed at the sound of Jack’s crying. 

“I don’t have his number, and her mom and dad died, my Diane is the only family Sam has, we’re the only ones here. It’s okay, I know you can’t do anything else.” Luci sighed, bouncing Jack a little as he turned to walk back to Dean. 

“Wait! What’s his name? I’ll go ask one of the admin staff to look, I think they can search students.” 

“Really? Thank you! His name’s Sam Winchester.” Lucifer beamed back at her, and watched as the girl leapt up and practically sprinted over to a side door. “Jack you’re a genius, thank you angel.” Luci murmured while ducking his head down to press a kiss to the top of Jack’s head. 

It was several minutes before the girl came back, time Lucifer spent pacing backwards and forwards trying to sooth the baby who was adamant he wouldn’t stop until he had something to eat. Luci was just about to give up and go find Dean outside, when the girl came trotting back, beaming ear to ear. 

“You found him?” Lucifer asked, the hope in his voice not faked in the slightest. 

“Mr Samuel Winchester, majoring in psychology. The ceremony is at the Ford centre plaza in 30 minutes, so you have plenty of time to get there.” The girl was grinning at Lucifer as she pulled up a campus map and with a pen quickly drew a line showing the fastest route there. 

“Thank you! I mean that. You. Are awesome.” Luci grinned, taking the map from the giggling girl and leaning over to press a kiss to her cheek before bouncing back and turning to leave. At the door he looked back to give her a little wave, but she was already turning to the next person. 

The second he pushed through the glass doors and back into the warm summer air, Dean was next to him, already digging through the diaper bag to find one of the pre-made bottles for Jack. “Well? Did you find him?” 

Lucifer couldn’t keep the smug out his voice as he replied, “Yep” popping the P. 

Dean froze, bottle in hand as he stared at Lucifer. “That’s not funny.” 

“Good job I’m not joking than. Here, give me that.” Lucifer hummed, taking the bottle from Dean’s hand while he repositioned Jack. The baby was beginning to sound like he hadn’t eaten his whole life and more than one person was staring at them. 

“Fuck, sorry. That’s... I don’t... Shit.” Dean stammered, eyes going wide and panicked as he fumbled to close the thermal pack with the spare bottle in and shove it all back into the bag. 

Luci spent a couple extra seconds making sure Jack was stable and drinking before he turned his attention to his companion. “Dean. Calm down. I know you’re nervous, but you don’t have to be. We’re going to go watch a bunch of kids get handed a piece of paper. Just because one of those kids is your brother, doesn’t mean you have to talk to him. Okay?” 

Dean didn’t reply, but he nodded, eyes still too wide and breathes a little fast, but it wasn’t a full blown panic attack, so Luci would take the wins he could. “Good. Let’s go, I want to find a seat out the sun if we can.” 

Dean nodded again, but made no move to follow Luci when he started walking. The older man noticed after a couple of steps and heaved a sigh before going back. He once again caught Dean’s hand in his, and this time when he set off walking, he dragged the other man along. Dean following in a daze. 

~*~*~*~*~ 


	3. Chapter 3

~*~*~*~*~

Lucifer smothered a yawn in the crook of his elbow. The excitement and tension of the morning had left him and now that he was sitting on the uncomfortable plastic chairs to one side of the Ford centre quad, he was reminded of just how little sleep he’s had the last few days. Jack was still awake, but he was quite, holding one of Luci’s fingers in a fist and alternating between shaking it and sucking on it. The motherly woman on Luci’s left seemed to pay more attention to Jack than to her own family, cooing and giggling every time Jack did something she thought was cute. 

On Luci’s other side was Dean was a coiled spring of tension and anxiety. The only thing keeping Luci awake right now was his worry Dean was about to explode. The spontaneous combustion of a human was a once in a life time event, Luci wasn’t about to miss that, no matter how tired and bored he was. At this point, he wasn’t even sure if Dean realised he was clutching his hand in a death grip. 

Lucifer yawned again. His eyes were aching and in the shade of the courtyard he was pleasantly warm without being too hot. They had been there for what felt like forever, but it had only actually been about 30minutes, the ceremony hadn’t even started yet. “Hey Dean, grab me some water?” 

“Huh? Oh right. Where?” Dean blinked several times as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the request, half standing and looking around the open space. 

“Sit down. There’s a bottle in the diaper bag.” Luci replied, tugging on their joined hands to get Dean back down. 

“Oh right. Sorry. Umm. One second.” Dean muttered as he dropped back into his seat with a thump before trying to grab the bag with the hand still squeezing Luci’s. After a second of struggling, he gave up, letting their joined hands drop between the chairs as he used his free hand to lift the bag and rummage around. Lucifer fought the smile down; not thinking Dean would appreciate being laughed at. 

Luci carefully freed his finger from Jack’s grip, slipping his paci back into his mouth so he could get the bottle from Dean. Jack made a soft grumbling noise around his paci as he settled into sleep. With careful movements, using his free hand and the sleeve of his jacket, Luci removed the condensation from the bottle before removing the lid and taking small sips. 

Once he was done he passed the bottle to Dean, he took several large gulps before putting it back. Dean sighed, pressing his forehead to Luci’s shoulder. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

“Well you wouldn’t be here for a start.” Luci hummed gently back, resting his cheek against the back of Dean’s head. “Maybe you would be dying of heat in Texas by now?” 

“Maybe. At least I wouldn’t be in a monkey suit.” 

“True, but you also wouldn’t be looking sexy in my clothes.” 

Dean snorted softly, “I’d rather be ugly in jeans, than sexy in a suit.” 

“I think you could wear a white Elvis sequin suit and still look sexy. You just look better in my clothes is all, smelling of my body wash.” 

“Possessive much?” 

“So I’ve been told. Personally I don’t think it’s true. As long as everyone knows exactly who they belong to and people don’t touch my things, I’m fine.” 

Dean snickered a bit more, lifting his head to press a chaste kiss to Luci’s cheek. “You’re fucking weird man.” 

The motherly woman on Luci’s other side made an outraged noise and glared at them, although it was hard to tell if it was because of the swear or the kiss. It didn’t matter though as at that moment the announce came that they were ready to begin. 

Luci gave Dean a soft look, squeezing his hand as they both turned to watch the procession of graduates. He could feel Dean staring at each person who passed, trying to spot his brother; he could also feel as Dean slowly deflated with each person who passed. He was just about to tell Dean he was probably on the other side of the procession and that’s why he couldn’t see him when the other man inhaled sharply, every muscle in his body tensing before be breathed out slowly, lips forming the name, but not sound passing. 

As the last of the students took their chairs Dean sagged in the chair, eyes glowing, as he leaned close to Lucifer, murmuring in his ear. “You really found him. My Sammy.” 

Lucifer grinned back, bumping their shoulders. “You can thank me with a blow job when we get home.” 

“Yeah, sure, anything you want.” 

Lucifer snickered softly, pretty certain that Dean had not been listening to what he was agreeing to but half hoping he could still hold him to that. “Just listen to your baby brother graduate you idiot.” 

“Yeah, sure.” 

Lucifer sighed softly, shaking his hand free form Dean’s now that the other man seems to have relaxed a little bit and instead leaning into Dean’s side. He’s been to enough graduations by now to know they were both long and boring. He felt the other man’s arm wrap over his shoulder and he spent a few seconds to make sure Jack was safe and comfortable in the harness before shutting his eyes. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer woke with a grunt. There were fingers tugging his hair, and it would have felt nice if he didn’t have a huge crick in his neck and the tell-tale sticky patch under his cheek that meant he had probably been drooling. 

“Dude. I could put up with the drool since this isn’t my jacket, but your snoring is starting to disturb the other people.” Dean whisper hissed as he tugged the blond locks again. 

“Shit. Sorry. How long?” Lucifer mumbled as he tried to sit back up, wincing in pain at the twinge of his neck. Before immediately yawning loudly. 

“You’ve only been snoring the last few minutes, but you’ve been asleep for like the last hour. I think they are almost at the end of diplomas.” Dean whispered back, digging out the water and passing that to the sleepy blond with a grin. 

“Oh good, so we can go home soon?” Lucifer replied, yawning again. He couldn’t seem to stop now that he had started and he could positively feel the evils from the woman next to him. Apparently the happy cooing was only for Jack. 

Dean rolled his eyes, shushing Luci, before turning back to watch the stage. It would be Sam’s turn any minute from now and he had no intention of missing his little brother’s big moment. 

Lucifer huffed; sipping the cold water in the hopes it would wake him up while he rubbed his sore neck. Jack at least appeared to still be asleep and happy so he would take the wins he could get. 

With another yawn Luci turned his attention back to the stage, watching as each graduate was called by name and stepped up to take their diploma and handshake before returning to their chair. 

Turned out that Winchester was the last name alphabetically, which meant that Sam was the final student called. Luci raised an eyebrow in surprise when he noticed Dean was the only person not taking pictures and quickly pulled out his phone, snapping a couple shots of the tall young man with surprisingly long hair accepting his diploma with an embarrassed smile. Dean shook his head silently as he watched, before finally whispering “He actually did it.” The pride in those quiet words impossible to miss. 

Luci grinned a little to himself and snapped a quick picture of Dean’s face too, it was too cute to miss, before leaning in and whispering “you going to talk to him after?” 

“What? No! No. He... uhh... No. He wouldn’t like that.” Dean shook his head muttering back to Lucifer and his good mood evaporating, while up on stage the speaker was saying his final words. 

Luci shrugged a little, he had made Dean come this far, he wasn’t going to force him the rest of the way, even if it seemed a shame to quit now. With the final words of the speaker, there was a loud cheer and the audience began to clap and join in, at the front the newly graduated students threw their caps into the air before they were all getting to their feet, hugging each other and starting to make their way through the crowd. 

Lucifer sighed as Jack woke up to all the shouting, wailing and wriggling in unhappiness. “Hey, it’s okay, it’s just happy people Jack. Go back to sleep.” Luci cooed, rocking the baby as best he could while sitting with him strapped to his chest. 

Dean turned to look, lips quirking slightly. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m hungry.” 

Lucifer nodded, getting to his feet alongside Dean. “Yeah. I know a nice little cafe not far from here. They have the best toasted sandwiches.” 

Dean made a sweeping gesture as he slipped the bag onto his shoulder, “Lead the way.” 

“Hey! Excuse me, sorry. Wait! Dean?” 

Lucifer paused, looking around at the shout, considering he was already on the tall side, and the other man was possibly even taller, it wasn’t hard to recognise Sam on the other side of the crowd waving to get their attention while trying to push through. 

Dean was stiff as a plank next to him, not even glancing backwards as he dragged Luci along towards the exit. A small stumble made Luci look down as he caught his footing and when he looked up again Sam was gone. An impressive feat for someone that tall. 

“Dean, slow down. It’s okay, he’s gone.” 

Dean shook his head, not slowing in the slightest as he kept pulling Luci with him. “I’m not running away, I told you, I’m hungry.” 

Lucifer didn’t bother arguing back, just keeping one arm curled protectively around Jack as Dean shoved his way through to the exit only to slam to a stop as they passed through. Lucifer bumped into Dean’s back and was halfway through a curse when he realised why they had stopped. 

“I thought it was you.” 

Luci blinked, rubbing his shoulder which had bounced off Dean’s back and bouncing slightly to settle Jack. “How did you get in front of us so quickly?” He asked in confusion, looking at the young man. 

Sam’s eyes flickered away from Dean’s face for a second and then with a jolt and a look of confusion he turned to look at Luci more fully. “Uhh, I know the shortcut... Sorry, who are you?” 

Dean seemed to have been rendered mute by the appearance of his brother so Lucifer leaned forward around Dean’s shoulder, holding out his hand. “Name’s Lucifer” 

Sam made no move to take Luci’s hand, giving him what could only be called a bitch face before turning back to Dean. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you come find me! Are... mom and dad?” Sam trailed off, looking around behind Dean and Luci as though expecting to see his mom and dad appearing through the same door. 

“I need to go.” Dean gritted the words out, as though it took every ounce of will he had to speak at all, before continuing to walk, pushing past Sam. It was only because Dean still hand Luci’s wrist in a death grip that Lucifer got dragged along, leaving a stammering, confused Sam behind. 

The younger Winchester would have followed, but before he could get far another student came up behind him. 

“That was rude Dean.” 

“No, just stop. I’m not your brother; you don’t need to lecture me, okay? I’m done. I came, I watched him graduate. That’s it. So just fucking drop it.” 

Lucifer puffed breath out between his pressed lips. “Okay. Just. Stop a second, Dean.” 

Dean sighed, coming to a stop and turning to look at Lucifer. “What?” 

“I can’t find Jack’s paci, he must have spat it out. Can I get his spare?” 

Dean made a noise of frustration, “I’ll get it when we get to the cafe.” 

Lucifer glared, “No. He’s crying and I’m not listening to this all afternoon because you’re a coward. So either give me the paci or the bag, I don’t really care which.” 

“Fuck you!” Dean snapped, ripping the bag off his shoulder before turning on his heel and stalking away. 

Lucifer sighed, pressing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose before he picked the bag, moving to one of the nearby benches to find the other paci, while murmuring soft reassurance to the hiccupping baby. 

“Where did Dean go? He didn’t even say hi...” 

Lucifer looked up, groaning when he realised Sam had followed him. “If I had to take a guess, I would image he’s going back to the car. But I’m not a hundred percent sure he knows the way, so he’s probably stopped at the end of the road and is rage-waiting for me.” 

“Oh.” Sam looked in the direction of the path, with the expression of a man who just watched a puppy get shot. Lucifer finally found the space pacifier and slipped it into Jack’s mouth, finally quieting the soft hiccups and breaths. A small kiss was pressed again to the top of his head and then Lucifer repacked the diaper bag, and turned to look more fully at Sam. 

“Look. I don’t know you, and it’s really none of my business... but you’re a fucking ass for running away like that, and an even bigger one for not even trying to keep in touch with him. That said, if you give me your number, I’ll make sure he gets it? And congrats on graduating.” 

Sam listened with a sad expression, nodding his head and already pulling out his phone before Lucifer even finished speaking. “I know. And for what it’s worth, I did try, but Dean doesn’t have face book and I lost his number. I know it’s a bad excuse but... Just, tell him? Please?” 

Lucifer shrugged a little. “I’ll try.” He hummed, typing Sam’s number into his phone as the other man read it out. “But your brother’s the most stubborn asshole I’ve ever met.” 

Sam gave a small smile in return, “So he’s not changed much than.” 

Luci couldn’t help the small frown, “I imagine he’s changed a lot. I need to go find Dean before he leaves without me.” 

“Okay... Just... please call me?” 

“Bye Sam.” 

Lucifer turned and walked, not looking back at the young man. He could feel the eyes following him down the road, but it didn’t really matter. Jack was settled again and Luci’s belly was reminding him breakfast had been a long time ago. Brother drama could wait as far as he was concerned. 

He found Dean sitting on the trunk of his car, feet on the bumpers, elbows on knees and head in hands. Luci didn’t comment on him leaving, just gave him a punch on the upper arm. “We may as well walk from here. It’s not far and parking’s a bitch.” 

Dean looked up slowly, eyes red and puffy like he had been fighting off tears. “You came back?” 

Lucifer shrugged, “Ass or not, you’re my ride. Come on.” 

Dean rubbed his face with the heel of his hands. “I’m not really hungry anymore.” 

“Well tough. I fucking am and unless you plan on making me a bacon, brie and cranberry Panini then we are going to that cafe.” 

“Firstly... what the fuck is a Panini? Secondly, who is putting fruit with their fancy ass cheese and bacon.” Even as he argued, Dean hoped off the car trunk and began following behind Luci. 

“Seriously? You live under a rock or something? Panini is Italian bread and it’s practically designed to be toasted sandwiches, secondly, brie is hardly a fancy cheese and thirdly, cranberry is as often served with savoury as with sweet therefore 100 percent belongs on a sandwich.” 

“Whatever you weirdo. Keep your weird fruit sandwich to yourself. This place have steak sandwich?” 

“Yeah, but you won’t like it.” 

“Why not?” 

“Has fruit in it.” 

“Dude, who the fuck is putting fruit on steak?” 

“Comes with green pepper, which is a berry, and chilli, which is also a berry, and in case you were thinking about leaving that off, bread? Made from fruit.” 

“The hell you talking about? I’ve never made bread, but I know it’s not made from fucking fruit.” 

“See? This is why I fucking hate humanity. Ignorant little mud monkeys with no education to speak of the lot of you. Wheat and other grains are caryopsis, which is one of the six sub-categories of fruit. Just because they happen to be dried and pounded into flour before you use them, doesn’t stop them from being a fruit.” 

Dean blinked as he followed along next to Lucifer. He had no idea what language he was speaking, but it sure as hell wasn’t English. “Okay... I’m just going to assume the lack of sleep and the heat is messing with your head and that’s why you’re speaking gibberish.” 

Lucifer rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about the state of the education system that people aren’t even taught the fundamentals of biology and botany any more. Dean rolled his eyes, shoulder bumping his friend but otherwise ignoring his old man muttering. His mood had already improved from the overwhelming feelings of seeing his little brother again. Lucifer seemed to have the unique ability to get him out of his mind funk every time. 

~*~*~*~*~ 


	4. Chapter 4

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer watched Dean out of the corner of his eye. The man hadn’t moved in a worryingly long time. He was sat on the edge of the sofa, Luci’s phone held loosely in his hands. The only motion he made was the occasional press of a thumb to keep the screen lit. Luci already knew he had his brother’s contact card open. 

They had had a good late lunch, Dean’s mood had seemed to improve and he had even talked a little bit more about his childhood, telling stories about his and Sam’s exploits. When they got home, the little kids had both demanded attention so they stripped their suits off and Dean had helped Luci play a game of monsters and hunters using the water guns. None of Luci’s girlfriends had ever been interested in playing house with the kids, well except for Lilith and the less said about her, the better. But Dean, he was a complete natural, even going so far as to give fake lectures to the kids about the best way to kill different monsters. 

It had been a great afternoon. Even Micha, who hated everyone Luci had ever even looked at, caught him in the kitchen and whispered in his ear, “Keep him.” They even had dinner together as a family, Micha having made meatloaf, while Dean told the kids fairy tales and stories about a pair of monster hunting brothers. 

It wasn’t until after dinner, after the kids were put to bed, after Michael excused himself to his own bed, that Lucifer told Dean about his conversation with Sam. Now he wished he hadn’t. Dean hadn’t said a word, just took the phone in silence and sat staring at it, still in silence. 

Lucifer let it go. Let Dean sit in quiet. He didn’t push, didn’t try to get the other man to talk, just let him sit and mull. Only that had been almost an hour ago and it was getting a little ridiculous now. At this point, even if Dean ever did muster up the courage to call, no one was going to be answering. 

Lucifer stretched, rolling his muscles and turning to look at Jack, who was yawning quietly, little eyes and face scrunching up tight. With a small grin he gave the tiny fat belly a gentle tickle earning himself an outraged shout and a double leg kick, as well as a sudden wave of... fragrance. Luci’s nose crinkled in disgust. 

“I’m going to get Jack changed and then get the whiskey.” Lucifer waited patiently for an answer but when he didn’t get one, he rolled his eyes and stood up, taking his son with him. It was so strange to think about being a father; to think that he was now solely responsible to this tiny little life. 

Even though he had played a major role in raising both Annie and Balth, still, if things went wrong, if there was a problem, dad was only a phone call away. Chuck wouldn’t win any awards for the best father, but he was always there when he was needed, even at 2am, he would answer a video call, and if needed, he would be on the next flight back available. 

With Jack though? That wasn’t an option. He didn’t have a backup, he couldn’t pass the responsibility. Jack was all his and it was fucking terrifying. Just because Micha thought he would be a good dad, Mike didn’t have a clue. 

He went through the motions of getting Jack changed, not only did he need a new diaper, but a new onesie too. He chose a cute little blue one with little white clouds on it. Lucifer knew all the principles of looking after a baby and he’d done it with all of his siblings, but they’d never been this young. When dad needed to leave with a baby, he would take them with him, at least until they were close to one and getting more independent. He didn’t know what he was doing. Just going through the motions, pretending he had it all together. 

Once Jack was cleaned and changed, Lucifer carried him back downstairs, pausing briefly in the kitchen to grab his son a bottle of warm formula before returning to the living room. Dean was still sitting in the mostly dark room, the only light coming from the TV. Luci’s phone was no longer in his hands although where it had gone was impossible to see in the gloom. 

“You okay?” 

Dean took a shuddering breath. As he lifted his head, the light caught on the thin silvery trail on his cheek. Luci didn’t comment, just padded back to his seat, Jack still suckling noisily at his bottle. 

“I’m fine.” 

Lucifer nodded, “Sure. You look, 100% fine.” 

Dean gave a small snort of amusement, shaking his head a little before slumping back against the sofa again. Lucifer sighed. Getting real emotion from Dean was like getting blood from a stone. 

“Okay. What’s you’re happy place?” 

“What?” 

“Well I already told you what cheers Raffy up. And when Gabe’s a little blue, a box of brownies or some other cake quickly perks him up. Annie’s happy place is Titanic, don’t ask me why, while Balthy likes choreographed dance routines... again.. I don’t know. Even Mike goes to the gym when he’s feeling stressed, fencing of all things.” 

“Dude... you’re family is like next level weird.” 

“I know. But my point is, everyone has that thing that perks them up and makes them feel better. So what’s yours?” 

Dean shrugged a little. “Alcohol?” 

“Nope. Alcohol’s a depressive. Makes you sadder not happier, which means at best it’s an emotional crutch.” 

“Well I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ll look at your car tomorrow though if you like? I need to head off, but I’ll keep my end of the deal first.” 

Lucifer made a low noise of irritation, wiping Jack’s chin and lifting him to a shoulder to wind him. “I told you, you don’t have to leave. Hang around a while, we don’t mind having you.” Once Jack was sorted and settled once again into his basket, already half asleep. Lucifer turned his full attention on Dean. 

“Did you call him?” 

“Call who?” 

“Don’t play dumb. It doesn’t suit you.” 

Dean didn’t reply, just tossed the locked phone back to Luci and dropped to lie down on the sofa. Lucifer heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, fine, don’t talk to me. Be a giant baby about it all, see if I care.” 

“Why _do_ you care?” 

“Did I not just fucking tell you I don’t care?” 

“Whatever man. I need to sleep. Good night.” 

“Seriously? Fuck you, you asshole.” 

“What? You want to stay up all night braiding each other’s hair and gossiping about boys? We’re fucking men. We don’t talk about shit, we just fucking deal with it.” 

“That’s a load of bullocks and you know it. But fine. Have it your way. I’m going to fucking bed. Don’t bother with the car.” 

Lucifer turned the TV off before tossing the remote away, grabbing up the basket with the baby and stalking out the room. It was hard to pull off a proper storm out when he had to pause in the doorway to manoeuvre a sleeping baby in a basket through and then close the door quietly to not wake the rest of the house up. 

He felt angry for reasons that didn’t really make sense to him. He still barely knew the other man, they had only shared a couple of kisses, none of them more than just a press of lips together. Dean didn’t owe him anything. They weren’t even friends. He really shouldn’t fucking care. 

But for some reason... He did. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer thumped his head against his mattress. Again, and again. He was so tired. His eyes itched, his head hurt, his whole body ached with the need for rest. He had _just_ got Jack asleep for the fifth time this night (and it was only 3am) following a full outfit change and a shower for both of them after Jack kindly puked what seemed like a week’s worth of sour milk all over them both. 

He had tried everything to help his son settle, bottles, paci, cuddles, rocking, singing, leaving him to cry it out, pacing up and down the hall (until Annie came out of her room and begged him to stop the noise). Nothing was working. Jack would settle for a minute or 5, he even managed to sleep for a whole hour at one point, and then he was awake and crying again. At one point, in his desperation he had even called his dad, asking what he used to do to settle the kids. 

Of course that had been a mistake and simply proven to be another example of Dad’s A+ parenting skills when he suggested putting a drop of whiskey in the milk as that “always worked on you kids.” When Luci had made an outraged response, dad had only shrugged and pointed out they had all turned out okay so clearly it wasn’t that big a deal. 

Safe to say, Lucifer would not be trying that option. At least not yet. 

It wouldn’t even be such a problem, if Luci hadn’t already been exhausted. If he had managed to sleep at least 5 hours last night. If he hadn’t spent all day holding Dean together and all evening chasing children. 

He dragged his hands over his face, digging the heels of his palms into his sockets. He was so desperate for sleep, anything, even just a ten minute power nap before Jack woke up again. He just couldn’t fall asleep. 

Lucifer flung himself onto his belly, punching his pillow into a more comfortable position and pressed his face tightly into the soft fabric. He wanted to cry but was just too damn tired. 

At the point, the loud piercing wail from the basket by the bed wasn’t even a surprise. Lucifer grabbed his pillow in both fists, pressing his face even more firmly against the fabric. If he just ignored him, maybe Jack would stop. 

He didn’t even lift his face when he heard his bedroom door open and someone come in. With any luck it would be Michael here to end his misery. 

“Hey little buddy. That’s a nice set of lungs you’ve got, but now’s not the right time to use them hmm? Come here. So here’s the deal. You stop the noise so you can hear me, and I’ll tell you a little story.” 

Lucifer turned his face out of the pillow when he heard Dean speaking instead of Michael. The other man looked sleep rumpled, his shirt covered in creases and wearing just a pair of loose boxers underneath. His hair was also in disarray and if Lucifer hadn’t been so tired and so desperate for sleep, but also confused as to what the relative stranger was doing touching his son, he would have wanted to run his fingers through that spiky blond mess and maybe use it to tug him into a kiss. 

He relaxed a smidgeon when instead of leaving the room, Dean carried Jack with him to the other side of the bed, settling next to him with his back to the bed headboard. By some bizarre miracle, Jack had quieted down to soft little hiccupping whimpers. 

“Once upon a time, there were two men. They were brothers, but they were more than that, they were best friends. They had been born into an unkind world and learned from a young age, the secrets that ordinary people pretended weren’t true. You see, these brothers? They knew about monsters; about vampires and werewolves, angels and demons and everything in between. The mother of these boys died when they were very young, and their dad had a mission in life, to catch her killer...” 

Dean’s voice had a nice soothing rhythm to it. A steady up and down, as the words disappeared from Luci’s understanding, just the smooth flow of a story about love, trust and brotherhood. 

Lucifer meant to stay awake. He really did, but when Jack’s soft snored joined background to dean’s melody and long fingers found their way to the back of his head, scratching softly at his scalp, he was utterly helpless to the blackness that took over. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Lucifer sighed softly as he came awake slowly. He was warm and comfortable and so not ready to wake up. He burrowed his cold nose deeper against the slightly scratchy pillow he was cuddling. He didn’t know what time it was, his blackout blinds leaving the room in darkness. Jack should have been awake by now and it was that pressing concern in the back of his mind that was tugging him out of oblivion. 

He huffed softly as he remembered Dean coming into his room and somehow managing to be the baby whisper. But if Jack wasn’t awake, and Dean, a stranger, was the last one to see him... 

Lucifer shoved himself almost violently up as panic took over his thoughts. He remembered begging for a higher power to just make Jack stop, what if his prayers were heard? 

“Ow! Shit, watch the goods Luce! Jesus.” 

Lucifer froze, eyes going wide in confusion as he looked down on a blinking Dean. One palm was pressed flat against the strong chest and the cause of Dean’s outcry was the knee Luci was currently pressing between his legs. 

Lucifer blinked, looking at Dean which apparently explained the scratchiness of his pillow. He shifted his knee back a little, a mumbled apology already on his lips as he sat back on his knees to look for Jack. 

“Your brother has him.” Dean explained with a yawn, rubbing a hand over his face. “He woke up at like 7 and since Mike was already up, he took him downstairs. Now shush. I’m not done sleeping.” 

Lucifer looked back at the other man who didn’t seem the slightest bit surprised to find himself with a Luci shaped blanket. He’d left his arm over his face, keeping his eyes covered despite the dark room. 

Luci couldn’t help the small noise of confusion. Several nights of exhaustion combined with waking from a deep sleep and the sudden panic left him feeling confused and disorientated... But Jack wasn’t in the basket and he had no reason to disbelieve the other man. The pounding in his skull had already started up full force and in all honesty, if Jack was dead, there’s nothing he could do about it now, so he might as well enjoy a little more sleep while he can. 

With his own yawn, Luci let himself slid back to lying down, not bothering to move from where he was half on top of the other man if he wasn’t being forced to. At some point in the night they had managed to become rather tightly entwined, and considering the fact that Luci was on top of Dean, it seemed fair to assume he was the one doing the sleep molestation. 

He shifted a little, wrapping his legs a little tighter around Dean’s leg he was holding captive, tightened his hold around the other mans chest and nuzzled his way back against Dean’s throat. It was surprising how well his head fit in the curve of the younger man’s neck. 

A small moan of contentment escaped as Dean’s nails scratched lightly down his back, reminding him he wasn’t wearing a shirt with the skin on skin contact. 

Dean made a hushing noise, patting at his back like he was soothing a baby. With a small smile Luci let his eyes shut, breathing slow and deep the faint hint of his own shower gel mixing with the scent of old sweat and something that was uniquely Dean. The combination oddly appealing as Luci slipped back into sleep. 

~*~*~*~*~ 


	5. Chapter 5

~*~*~*~*~ 

The second time Lucifer woke up, it was with a little moan of pleasure as whoever he was currently lying on tried to wriggle out of his hold, a move which would be more successful if Luci didn’t currently have his legs locked tight around a firm thigh. As it was, all that wriggling was achieving was to provide some rather lovely friction of a sharp hip bone against his morning semi. 

Luci gave a pleased hum and pressed a soft kiss to the weirdly stubbled throat with a gentle roll of his hips. His bed mate had frozen underneath him, going rigid in surprise. Luci shifted, snuggling closer as one hand stroked up a cotton covered belly looking for a breast. His sleep heavy brain didn’t remember who he took home last night, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy a slow morning wake up. 

When his questing hand failed to find soft flesh to squeeze he began to frown a little in confusion, blinking at the flat muscled chest. It happened on occasion, that his sleepy cuddles with Mike got a little... blurry, but one or the other of them always realised what was happened pretty quick and stopped it before it got awkward. It wasn’t like Mike to freeze like this. 

With all the will power he possessed, Lucifer forced his hips to still and pushed himself up on an elbow and turned to look at his companion. “Fuck.” 

“I... uh... morning?” Dean stammered slightly. His face was bright red as he avoided eye contact with the blond. He had stopped all efforts to move away, as though terrified that any motion from him would be misinterpreted somehow. 

“I’m sorry.” Lucifer cleared his throat as he felt his own cheeks getting warm as he tried to un-entangle their legs without forcing Dean to again feel his hardness, which despite the awkward embarrassment was not softening in the slightest. 

“It’s fine.” Dean’s voice was definitely higher than usual as he scrambled away from Luci the second they were free of each other, turning his back and sitting on the edge of the bed. “I uh... I’m just gonna... I’m... Shower.” 

“Right. Fuck.” Lucifer groaned, flopping onto his back and covering his face with both hands. He should have calmed down the second he realised it was a man in his bed and not a pretty girl with curves in all the right places, but for some reason it had the opposite effect. His cock going from “interested” to “ready to go” in two seconds flat. 

He hadn’t decided yet if he wanted to pursue a relationship with Dean, but the one thing he knew for sure, was that Dean needed to take it slow, and early morning humping was not taking it slow. 

He heard Dean get up, clearing his throat awkwardly and heading for the door. The footsteps paused near the end of the bed as Dean made a second small noise of embarrassment. “By the way... Nice, uh... nice boxers.” 

Lucifer frowned in confusion, removing his hands so he could see Dean where he was staring at Luci’s crotch, the blush still in full force, but his lip was caught between his teeth and if Luci had to name the look in his eyes, he would call it hunger. With an even deeper frown, he pushed himself up a little to look down at his own body only to feel his face get even redder. With a loud groan he flopped back onto the bed, rolling onto his stomach. “Fuck off.” 

It was just his luck that he was wearing Gabe’s stupid joke boxers with the little boat and the words “Give it a Tug” scrawled across his crotch. They were also tight enough to have made his erection beyond obvious to Dean, but there was nothing he could do about that. 

He listened to the sound of his bedroom door shutting before he gave a small sound of frustration. Lying face down in the space Dean had been sleeping only meant that Luci was surrounded by the scent of the man that caused his current difficulty. It had been too long since he last “cleaned the pipes” which meant that the odds of this going away on its own were slim. He could either wait until he had the shower or... 

Lucifer gave his hand a quick lick before lifting his hips up enough to fit a hand down his shorts and jerking himself off with quick rough strokes. He felt like all sorts of perverted getting off to the smell of his... friend..? But it was too late for that thought to stop him as he came with a small groan into the tunnel of his hand and the cotton of his boxers. 

He allowed himself several minutes to float in the post-orgasmic glow and the warmth of his arousal, before the cum started drying on fabric and skin and with a groan he forced himself to get up and wipe his hand clean on his underwear before kicking them off and padding naked to his wardrobe. He would rather shower before getting dressed, but walking around the house got weird once Annie was old enough to start asking questions. 

With a self satisfied grin, he tugged Mike’s fluffy robe on, inordinately pleased with himself for not only leaving it in his room yesterday, but for putting it in his wardrobe so his brother wouldn’t spot it without looking. He picked out something to wear and padded silently down the hall to the washroom. The door was still shut, so Luci leaned his back against the wall opposite. The house was oddly quiet, but he hadn’t looked at a clock to check the time. He vaguely wondered what the rest of his family were up to. 

He listened as the water turned off, soft singing coming through the wooden door as Dean sang “pour some sugar on me”, an odd choice of shower song if you ask Luci, but to each their own. 

A few moments later the door open and Dean froze in the door frame. He looked Luci up and down, blushing bright red as he did before getting a stubborn look in his face and taking a step forward, he caught the other man with a hand on the back of his neck, and pressed their lips together in a quick kiss. 

“I’m not gay. I’ve never had sex with a man before. And to be honest, the whole... humping... thing this morning? Well it freaked me out a bit. But I’m going to go grab breakfast in a little bit, and I was hoping you would come too?” 

His words were a strange mix of hesitation and rushed; like he didn’t want to say it, but if he had to he would get them all out as quickly as possible. Luci blinked at him for a moment, before a grin spread across his face. He leaned back in, pressing a return kiss, but this time letting his tongue ever so gently lick at Dean’s mouth and when the other man responded, he let him take the lead, parting his lips and welcoming Dean in. 

One kiss quickly turned into a second and it wasn’t long before Dean had Luci pinned against the wall, one hand grabbing at his ass through the fluffy robe while the other held his head steady in the position he wanted. It turned out that as shy and awkward as Dean could be when flirting, he knew exactly what he was doing when he kissed. 

Lucifer groaned, letting his head bump back against the wall as he looked at the younger man. “I’m getting far too old to be this hard this soon.” 

“What? Oh. Dude! Come on, I don’t need to know that.” 

Lucifer snickered, heat creeping over his cheeks as Dean’s eyes darted down as through trying to sneak a second peak of Luci’s hard on. At least he knew now he hadn’t scared him off. “Sorry. Just seemed like useful information or something.” 

“Yeah well. Go take a cold shower you jerk.” 

“Cock-tease.” 

Dean grinned, kissing the pout off Luci’s lips. “Off you go! Don’t forget to wash _everywhere_ ” He let his eyes flick down with a sultry grin before pulling away and letting Lucifer pass him. He couldn’t resist giving him a firm smack on the ass as he passed though, causing Luci to give a little yelp and an accusing look over his shoulder. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

“So, where we going?” Lucifer asked as he settled into the front seat of the impala. 

Dean shrugged a little as he started the engine. “I don’t know. Some cafe place that does breakfasts near the college.” 

“Okay...” Luci raised his brows, turning to look at Dean in confusion. “You know there are good places much closer right?” 

Dean shrugged but didn’t reply, staring fixedly out the windscreen. Luci sighed a little and let it go. Jack was settled in his car seat, already being settled by the gentle vibrations of the old chevy. 

Once he’d got out of the shower, he’d gone on a hunt for his family, finding them all in the garden. Dean was sitting having a coffee while playing with Jack, as Micha sat next to him reading a book. Balthazar was apparently already at a friend’s house, while Annie was practicing her gymnastics across the lawn, handstands and flips. 

As soon as Lucifer had appeared, Dean had leapt up, coming over to him with a grin and asking if he was ready to go, barely giving Luci the time it took to pack Jack’s bags before ushering them all out the house. 

It had been strange seeing this bright and cocky version of the normally quiet and withdrawn young man, but it seems he was back to normal now. They both let the silence grow between them as they travelled back to Palo Alto. 

“It was Sam’s idea.” 

“What was?” 

“The cafe... thing. When we talked last night, while you were upstairs, he asked to meet me. I said no, but he said he would be there anyway.” 

“Oh. So, we are having breakfast with your brother?” Lucifer didn’t know how to feel about that. Dean flipped poles so quickly it was giving him whiplash. One minute he was leaving Cali, the next he’s staying for breakfast. He’s running from bed like its on fire, than groping Luci in the hallway. He’s never talking to Sam again, than he’s going to have breakfast. 

As much as he’s happy that Dean is giving his brother another chance, he can’t help but feel disappointed that this isn’t the date he thought it had been. 

“I know it’s messed up and I know I’m nothing to you. But you make me feel stronger, like suddenly I can bare to do things that I can’t even think about when you’re not there.” Dean paused, sending a little side glance at Luci to see how his words were being received. “After you left, I just... I kept thinking about you walking out on me and how much it hurt to see you leave. It’s fucking stupid and pathetic and _wrong_ but this is the closest I’ve felt to home since fucking Sammy left. I just...” 

Dean stopped talking and Luci just stared, surprised at just how many words had poured out of Dean in one go. He opened his mouth, but then realised he had no idea what he was supposed to say in response to that and shut it again with a small shake of his head. He dragged a hand through his hair as he tried to gather his thoughts. 

“Shit, shit, shit. Just. Fuck, forget I said anything okay. Let me... Just pretend I’m normal and not a fucking freak. I’ll drive you home. Forget I asked anything. 

“Pull over Dean.” 

“No, no, I’m going back. I’ll take you home and then I’ll get out of your hair.” 

“Dean. Pull. Over.” Lucifer enounced each word perfectly clearly, pressing a hand firmly on Dean’s knee and giving a little squeeze to get his point across. 

He snapped his mouth shut on his stammering, flicking the indicator and pulling over onto the side of the road, idling the engine. Lucifer ever so calmly removed his belt before leaning over Dean and turning the ignition off. That done, he lifted a hand, cupped Dean’s cheek in one hand and turning him, pressed their lips together. 

This time it wasn’t a chaste or slow exploration. Luci let his tongue push inside, stroking against Dean’s own as his free hand stroked over Dean’s knee and thigh. There was a small moment of hesitation as Dean remained passive and then he gave a small moan into the kiss and began to respond. One hand hooked into Luci’s soft blond hair and the other slid down over his shoulder, his ribs to his hip. 

As soon as Dean started to participate in the kiss, he began to take control, pulling Luci closer and spreading his legs wide to make space. Luci twisted, getting a knee onto the bench seat between Dean’s own thighs. It was awkward and cramped and perfect. Both of Dean’s hands digging into Luci’s ass as he slumped forward into the seat trying to get more contact between them as they moaned into the kiss. 

As the kiss got more and more sloppy, Luci’s hand made its way between their bodies, slipping the button on Dean’s jeans and pushing in inside. Dean couldn’t help but swear into the kiss as surprisingly cool fingers found heated flesh and he pulled back, pressing messy kisses down Luci’s chin and throat before finding his pounding pulse and sucking hard. Above him, Luci gasped, tilting his neck back to make more space and his whole body jerking in pleasure and accidently throwing an elbow back and hitting the horn. 

They both jumped in surprise, followed by a curse as Luci’s head connected with the roof. A second later there came a wail from the back seat. 

“Fuck me.” Lucifer gasped, dropping his forehead against Dean’s as he rubbed at the top of his head. Dean snickered softly. 

“I think Jack is saying no to that one.” 

“Talk about a cockblocker. We are going to have to talk about this before he gets much older!” 

Dean laughed, gently shoving until Lucifer flopped back onto his side of the seat. They both looked utterly wrecked, hair tugged into disorder, faces flushed and eyes blown wide. “So am I turning us around?” 

Luci shook his head, groaning softly as he re-arranged himself within his pants. “Nah, you don’t get out of talking to your brother that easy. I can wait until this afternoon to have you fuck my brains out. Besides, unless you’re packing lube and condoms, we need to take a trip to the drug store first anyway.” 

Dean snorted softly, sitting back from where he had twisted around to reach over the front seat and slip Jack’s paci back into his mouth. “You sure know how to take the romance out of life Luce.” 

“Mm, got to kill this boner somehow and I find talking about all the things I’m going to do to you when I have you naked and alone later isn’t going to help.” 

Dean laughed again and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Luci’s slightly puffy bitten lip, “Okay, but I think you need to slow down a little cowboy, this is kind of uncharted territory for me.” 

“Me too Dean, but I’m looking forward to exploring with you.” 

If Dean wasn’t already flushed with arousal, he would have blushed bright red at that statement and the look of pure sin that accompanied it. “Damn Luci. Smooth as fuck.” 

Lucifer tossed his head back, throat bobbing as he laughed, bumping a fist into Dean’s upper arm as he settled down. “Come on Romeo. I’m hungry and I was promised breakfast.” 

~*~*~*~*~

Lucifer honestly didn’t expect Sam to still be there. It was getting on close to 11am by the time they finally parked out the front and if Sam had been planning on getting there for 9:30, that meant he would have been there for over an hour and half, waiting for someone who probably wasn’t coming. Luci definitely wouldn’t have waited. 

He released the car seat from its holder and lifted it out. Dean was having a minor panic attack on the other side of the car, arms flat on the roof and forehead pressed to the metal. Lucifer rolled his eyes. The man had more panic attacks then Cassie and that kid freaked out if the layer of peanut butter wasn’t identical to the layer of jelly in his sandwiches. 

“Come on, coffee and waffles are waiting for me and I’m damned if I’m sitting on the curb watching you panic without food.” 

“Fuck you, man.” 

“I told you, later. But you’re going to need some calories if you plan on delivering on that promise sweetheart.” 

With a grunt Luci shifted the car seat to one elbow and grabbed Dean’s arm with his free hand, giving a tug. The older Winchester didn’t fight, but followed along, dragging his feet behind him. 

The cafe was surprisingly busy still; almost all the tables were occupied. Lucifer paused in the doorway, looking around to check if Sam was there while also looking for a free table. It was Dean that gave the answer with a soft “Fuck” breathed into Luci’s ear. A quick glance back at Dean and then following his line of sight to spot the sad figure where Sam was hunched over his table. 

Lucifer puffed a small breath out before heading to Sam’s table, one hand still firmly in Dean’s shirt pulling him along behind. 

“Morning. Sorry we’re late, we got a little distracted this morning.” Lucifer sat in the chair opposite Sam, finally letting go of Dean as he put the car seat down and unbuckled Jack, focusing on his son as he let the two brothers greet each other. 

“No, that’s... You came, Dean...” Sam was stuttering slight as his chair scraped on the floor. 

Luci sat up in time to see Sam wrapped around a wide eyed Dean who looked frozen to the spot. After a second of realising he wasn’t being hugged back Sam let go, clearing his throat a little and stepping back, looking every bit as awkward as his big brother. 

“Wow you two are something else. Hi Sam, Hi Dean, long time no see, I’ve missed you man, how you been.” Lucifer mimicked a “normal conversation” voice dry and face utterly unimpressed. 

“You’re such an ass Luce.” Dean muttered, slumping into the chair next to him and grabbing a menu to give him something to do. 

“I think you mean, “You have a great ass Luce” to which I say, I know, but thank you anyway.” 

Sam looked rather bemused as he slowly slipped back into his own chair looking between the two other men. “I didn’t know you were gay.” 

“I’m not.” Dean grunted softly. 

Lucifer rolled his eyes; tucking Jack neatly against his shoulder and pressing a little kiss to the downy head as he received a happy coo and a little arm flail in response. 

“Oh. I just assumed... you’re not together?” 

“We are. I’m just not gay.” 

“Oh.” Sam fell silent face showing his confusion as though he didn’t know what to say. 

“I think the correct terminology would be Bi or bi-curious. Either that or I’m the exception that proves the rule.” Lucifer said, leaning forward to nab the menu from Dean’s hands. “They still do those banana pancake things here?” 

Dean scowled as his menu was stolen, glaring at the blond as he replied “What the hell is it with you and putting fruit on things?” 

“Technically the banana goes into the pancakes so I’m not putting fruit on them.” Lucifer replied with a hum, finding his order on the menu and sitting back in the chair. “What are you getting?” 

“I don’t know, you took my menu before I could choose. Besides, what sort of breakfast place doesn’t have burgers?” 

“You can’t have a burger for breakfast. I personally really like the scrambled egg whites with spinach and feta.” Sam replied. The look he was giving to Dean was close to awe, while the older Winchester appeared to do everything in his power to not look back. 

“Just get the French toast Dean. You’ll like it and if you don’t you can share my pancakes, okay? So tell me Sam, how does it feel to be a graduate?” 

Sam blinked a little at Luci’s bossy tone and Dean’s pout before startling a little as he was addressed. “Oh. Well, to be honest no different to before. I’m going to law school in the fall anyway, so I’m not really done yet.” 

“Ah I see, future scum of the earth in the making.” He gave Sam a slightly crooked smile as he said it, but still the younger man’s face fell. 

“You always did want to be a lawyer. Figured you would grow out of it though.” Dean frowned slightly, looking at Sam for the first time. 

“Right... Sorry to disappoint.” 

The awkward conversation was thankfully paused by the waitress arriving to take their orders, pausing to coo over the baby and say how great it was to see a dad spending time with his baby without the mother around. Lucifer gave a fake smile to that before replying “We prefer papa and dad to mom, but thank you.” Before grabbing Dean’s hand in his free one and pressing a kiss to the back of his fingers. 

Dean snickered after the blushing girl let. “Alright papa bear, you can drop the act now.” Causing Lucifer to stick his tongue out childishly. 

Sam gave a large sigh from his side of the table, shaking his head a little. “You know, I thought about seeing you again so many times and in so many different ways... Never quite imagined this though. Did mom and dad not want to come... or did you just not tell them?” 

Dean stiffened slightly tugging his hand free of Lucifer’s grasp as his jaw clenched, chewing over his words before speaking. “Mom left 3 days after you did and Dad died 3 months ago. Would have invited you to the funeral but I didn’t know your address.” 

“Oh.” 

“Look, Sammy –“

“It’s Sam.” 

“Sammy. I didn’t actually mean to speak to you. I just wanted to see you graduate and then slip silently out the door. You weren’t supposed to know I was here. I’m not trying to butt back into your life, so you can relax.” 

Lucifer shifted Jack until he was cradled in the crook of an arm, as he grabbed one of the pre-prepped bottles of formula from the car seat. He didn’t want to talk and interrupt what was bound to be a difficult but necessary conversation, but his tongue was itching with the need to interfere. He hated seeing brothers at odds. 

“If that was your intention, you should have kept your boyfriend awake.” Sam muttered, looking like a kicked puppy as he stared at the table in front of him. 

Dean scowled as he turned to look at Lucifer, a pointed ‘this is your fault’ in his gaze. Lucifer raised his eyebrows and gave a shit-eating grin, “In that case, you’re both welcome.” 

Before either Winchester could respond, the food arrived, the same perky waitress balancing all three plates, while another waitress carried a small tray with the coffees. 

They ate in silence for a little while, all three concentrating on their food and letting the conversation pause for now. Lucifer had to keep stopping to rebalance Jack’s bottle, but he just about managed it. 

“I never meant to hurt you... You know that right Dean?” It was Sam who finally broke the silence, his expression so earnest. 

“Yeah well, you chose a pretty shit way of not hurting me, didn’t you.” 

Sam sighed heavily, deflating. “I just... I needed to get out. I’m not like you Dean. I’m not strong like you.” 

Dean shook his head. “No. There’s not enough whiskey in my coffee for me to be having this conversation with you Sammy. You left, I dealt and now here we are.” Dean pushed his half eaten French toast away. He hadn’t touched the berries that came with it. 

Lucifer careful swapped their plates, digging into Dean’s left overs and leaving him the remaining pancakes which he picked at half heartedly. 

“You idiots are going about this all wrong. Don’t re-hash the past, neither of you are ready for it.” 

“Yeah? What should we be doing then?” Sam asked, he had mostly been poking at his eggs which were probably already cold and congealing. 

“Fake it ‘til you make it. Obviously. You talk about mindless shit and catch up on what’s happened. What are your plans for the summer? How did you two meet. That sort of shit. Got it?” 

“Oh.” 

Dean snorted, “Your assuming those will be easier questions.” 

“Sure they are. Watch. Sammy, what are you doing for summer break?” 

“It’s Sam. And I’m going to be working. I have a job in a police station, it’s just low level admin stuff, basically a PA, but it’s still good experience to have.” 

“Yeah. I’ve heard getting a rounded view on life is always big when you want to be a lawyer. Which branch you thinking?” 

“Oh, I definitely want to be a DA one day. I have to start at the bottom obviously, but yeah.” 

“Mmm, put the bad guys away. Good for you.” 

“Thanks. What about you two?” 

“Well, that’s not decided yet. Me and Dean have been on a little road trip and he’s not really ready to stop yet I don’t think, but I’ve put work on pause for a while now and I need to get back to that, so...” 

“What? I thought you wanted me to stay?” Dean looked honestly upset to hear he was supposed to carry on his road trip and Luci gave a little shrug. 

“I do want you to stay Dean, but I also accept you have to do what’s right for you.” 

“And if what’s right for me is to stay?” 

“Then you and me are going to make like Dora and do some exploring.” Lucifer gave a wink to go along with the beyond cheesy line, startling a laugh out of Dean for the first time since they got to the cafe. 

Sam smiled at the sweetly. “We should go on a double date, introduce you to my girlfriend Jess.” 

Dean nodded a little, “yeah, maybe without the baby so we can fool around in the car without interruption.” That was directed more to Lucifer than to Sam, earning him a little wink and a grin, while Sam looked away in embarrassment. 

“You still have the impala?” 

“Who do you take me for? Of course I’ve still got the impala.” 

Lucifer relaxed as the boys seemed to have finally found some common ground, both reminiscing on their teenage years and the memories the car held. The damage done four years ago by Sam running away wouldn’t be fixed in a day, but the first meeting had gone well and maybe, just maybe, the chance at rebuilding a relationship would keep Dean here a little longer. Luci at least was hopeful; he didn’t want to let the younger man go just yet. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It felt a little anticlimactic I know, but I just couldn't make Dean talk about his feelings with Sam without a shit tonne of alcohol. He didn't want the chick flick moments. :(


End file.
